- The MK party won five of 15 seats in eNdumeni municipality in Dundee but has no majority. The South African Communist Party, with one seat, says it holds the balance.
- Eight of 15 seats are needed to govern eNdumeni. The ANC, IFP, DA and Freedom Front Plus hold nine between them, while the Communist Party says it did well in its first election on its own.
The MK party has won the most seats in eNdumeni municipality in Dundee, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal, but not enough to govern on its own.
The MK party, led by former president Jacob Zuma, won five of the council’s 15 seats. The IFP won four, the ANC and the DA two each, and the South African Communist Party (SACP) and the Freedom Front Plus one each.
A party needs eight seats for a majority.
eNdumeni has been in trouble, failing to pass its annual budget after the council rejected it amid allegations of corruption and unpaid debts.
SACP spokesperson Bonga Mdladla told Scrolla.Africa that the MK party won the most seats but has no majority. He said the SACP and the Freedom Front Plus are the decider, because both the MK party and the government of national unity (GNU) partners need them to govern.
On the seat numbers above, the ANC, IFP, DA and Freedom Front Plus together hold nine seats, one more than a majority needs. The MK party, SACP and Freedom Front Plus together would hold seven.
Mdladla said the Independent Electoral Commission has not yet counted the proportional representation votes in some municipalities, including Nongoma. He said these votes could decide who governs there.
He said the SACP is also waiting for seat results in Nquthu, which is in uMzinyathi District along with eNdumeni, Msinga and uMvoti.
Mdladla said the SACP did well, given that it was contesting for the first time on its own after campaigning for the ANC since the start of democracy.
He said the results are a call to prepare for the 2029 national elections. He said the SACP believes it is time for the ANC to step back and let its alliance partners lead.
The SACP’s decision to stand alone has divided its leaders. Some, including KwaZulu-Natal secretary Nomarashiya Caluza, backed the ANC’s campaign instead.
